Northern Virginia Weather: Behold the Warming Trend Tease

STERLING, VA — A week that began with a quasi snowstorm and continued with bone-chilling temperatures is expected to conclude with a relatively milder touch just in time for St. Patrick's Day, according to the area branch of the National Weather Service.

Rain likely will move in Friday night after a day flirting with highs near 50 but suddenly the low actually will remain above freezing.

That's a trend that's expected to continue for the next few days.

Here's the latest NWS forecast:

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 22. Northwest wind 11 to 16 mph decreasing to 5 to 10 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 23 mph.

Friday: Increasing clouds, with a high near 46. Southwest wind around 6 mph.

Friday Night: Rain likely, mainly between 11pm and 2am. Cloudy, with a low around 37. South wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Saturday: A chance of showers after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 54. Southwest wind 5 to 11 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Saturday Night: A chance of rain showers before 2am, then a slight chance of rain and snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 36. Northwest wind 8 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 49.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 33.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 57.

Monday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 43.

Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 57.

Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 33.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 47.

Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 28.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 48.

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